Bad Gear - This BOX is not BLACK

video upload by AudioPilz

'Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. There is no lack of compact, costly and multitalented touchscreen devices in our lives and usually we want to get away from them - especially when making music.

Today we are going to talk about 1010music blackbox. This 2019 “thing” not only threw down the gauntlet to its competitors in the crowded field of sampler / sequencer combos with an acute fit of feature-based megalomania, it also wants to take on the big Berlin Excel of DAWs."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:50 Overview 1010 music black box
01:17 Concept (Pads, Loops , Slicer , Granular Synth )
02:04 Sampling , Multisampling , Recording , Looper
02:14 Sample Playback Functionality, Engine
02:41 File Management, Polyphony
02:53 What to do with it?
03:09 Sequencer, Limitations
03:51 Controlling External Instruments
04:00 Is this a Bug???
04:10 I'll Skip Song Mode
04:14 FX Section
04:24 Mixer, Connectivity, Midi Host , Multiple Outputs
04:44 Eurorack Integration
04:53 What else? (Clock, Midi , Thanks)
05:19 Hate
05:42 Jam 1 ( House )
06:35 Jam 2 ( Drum'n'Bass )
07:37 Finale ( Granular Electronica )
08:08 Verdict
09:15 Patreon Vocoder Shoutout (more of a granular one ;))


https://www.patreon.com/audiopilz

Bad Gear is MASSIVE

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools.

There aren’t many software companies whose influence on electronic music is comparable to iconic hardware brands like Roland and Korg - Native Instruments is certainly one of them.

They defined the industry standard for sampling, established in-the-box modular synthesis and made using FM much too easy but today we are going to talk about Massive.

Putting this 2006 wavetable softsynth and primary ghost writer of the first three Skrillex EPs on the show is - quite literally - long overdue as, after the usual venture capitalist fustercluck and discontinuation of Absynth, it can only be a matter of months until this classic plugin stops working properly on contemporary computers.

Bad Gear is MASSIVE
Plugin, VST, Software Instrument

Chapters:
00:00 Intro Tune
01:05 Overview Native Instruments Massive
01:48 Oscillators/Wavetables/Noise/Mod OSC
02:28 Feedback
02:39 Filter Section
03:04 Modulators ( Brostep Edition ), Wubs, Wobbles
03:37 Modulation Routings, Sidechain
03:54 Patch Settings, Unison,...
04:15 FX Section
04:29 Macros
04:48 What else??? (Pricing,...)
05:13 Hate
05:39 Jam 1 ( Moog Style Techno )
06:32 Jam 2 ( Dubstep for Boomers )
07:24 Finale ( Meme Psytrance )
07:51 Verdict
08:59 Patreon Vocoder Shoutout ( Soma Lyra-8 )"

Elektron Talk: Octacosm 0.5.1 and Dub Techno From Scratch

video upload by EZBOT

"In today's live stream we will taking a look at the alpha release for the Octacosm and making some Dub Techno from scratch. The Octacosm is a project package intended to turn your Octatrack into a powerful "guitar-style stomp box" inspired by the Hologram Microcosm and the Mood MK2, both of which are amazing delay/reverb/granular pedals. Available on Patreon exclusively at this point.

Get 10% Modbang cables with code: EZBOT23
SHOP HERE: https://www.modbang.com/modbang-shop

Get the Octatrack Hyrbid Performance Template here: patreon.com/ezbot and here: https://ko-fi.com/s/9ea516acf7

Get the Techno Performance 1.0.3 Template among all my other templates and sound designs from patreon.com/ezbot and here: https://ko-fi.com/s/49a309043c"

UVI Introduces Noctua Multi-layer Instrument

video uploads by UVI

Venus Theory spent a year making a free plugin...

video upload by Venus Theory

"Howdy! Today I want to talk about the project that's taken up the last year of my life that you can get right now for the low price of free thanks to my friends at UVI.
Noctua ► https://bit.ly/noctuavt"

"From the mind of Venus Theory, renowned sound designer and YouTube creator, Noctua combines the worlds of hardware synthesis and boutique effects to realize an exquisite collection of hand-built instruments, ready to create sprawling soundscapes and evolving cinematic universes, rich with detail and movement.

Dive into an incredible multi-layer instrument built on hand-crafted samples, push and pull each layer individually with discrete microtonal sequencers, transform them with custom designed single-knob effect chains, and then finalize your sound with delay, reverb, and master buss processing - all from a single, refined and highly focused tool.

All sounds in Noctua were designed, recorded and processed by Venus Theory to capture the raw and visceral world of cinematic sound design. Divided into three categories, 'Effects Box' sounds were recorded from a variety of analog and digital hardware synthesizers processed through boutique pedals and custom digital FX, while 'EMF' sounds explore EMF recordings, transformed and multi-sampled using a variety of techniques and effect chains to create usable sonic instruments, and 'Analog', as a morphable raw source, giving users a deep pool of sonic possibility and textural exploration.

Each of Noctua's 3 sound layers has been fitted with a complex, microtonal sequencer with built-in randomization and probability. From subtle modulation and detuning to complex voicing and progressions, each layer can be customized with deep sequence control to create lush movement and sonic narrative, all with clear and easy-to-use controls.

Noctua's sound sources are treatable with fully adjustable delay and reverb sends along with powerful master buss processing including overdrive, compressor, eq, and maximizer let you dial-in the perfect sound, all from within the instrument - delivering a complete toolbox for evolving, cinematic sound design.

Noctua features a custom designed selection of one-knob fx chains. Here you can quickly browse different treatments and utilize them for sonic reinforcement, or to create performance-based transformations to the overall energy and grit of your sound. Each chain was designed by Venus Theory, providing a wide range of unique characters to explore.

100 hand-crafted presets are included, professionally designed both by Venus Theory and the UVI sound design team, delivering stylish and rarified sonic tapestries, from brooding and nuanced to terrifying. Presets are fully editable, allowing you to easily adapt the ideas to suit your needs, or create your own designs from scratch."

Noctua ► https://bit.ly/noctuavt

Electronic Projects for Musicians - Revised Edition (1981)

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"Electronic Projects for Musicians
Revised Edition – 1981 (1st printing)

by Craig Anderton
Special foreword by Joe Walsh.

THE renowned standard book for musical DIY projects. Ask anyone in the field and they will point you to this one as the best ever published. It’s the perfect introduction to build your own music boxes, since it also leads you through a crash course in theory, part sourcing, the use and care of tools, the basics of soldering and construction, and so on. Twenty-seven projects are guaranteed to keep you glued to your work table for many winter evenings. Build your own Preamp, Compressor/Limiter, Ring Modulator, Phase Shifter, Talk Box, plus 22 other inexpensive electronic accessories. Clear language, hundreds of helpful diagrams and illustrations, and simple, step-by-step instructions will make it easy.
Many thousands of these projects are already built by people around the world and praised by experienced DIY’ers.

Due to it’s unprecedented popularity, this book has been reprinted more than once and this 1981 publication has been out of print for a very long time. It can now only be found second hand, usually in auctions. But here is a BRAND NEW copy! Of course it also still has the accompanying flexi disk attached, with sound demonstrations of the various projects, produced by Craig himself.

Incl. Floppy Demo-single
NEW from old stock*
* 40 years of shelf life might have left some minor wear on the cover.

ISBN 0-8256-9502-3
Paperback
220 pages."

Alessandro Cortini + MATTHS Rig Tour

video upload by sonicstate

"Alessandro Cortini played a rare UK gig last weekend, and regular Sonic TALK panelist Matt Hodson AKA MATTHS was booked in the support slot.

We figured it was a great opportunity to have them talk about their gear selection and approach to the performance.

Alessandro opted for something minimal to support his completely improvised approach, with two Make Noise Strega (these were designed in conjunction with Alessandro) and two 0-CTRL - sequencer/CV controllers, Strymon Blue Sky and Volante all into an Allen and Heath Zone 96 DJ mixer, the laptop runs Resolume visuals for the show.

http://cortini.bandcamp.com

Matths has a different approach basing his set around pre writtern material and re-voicing larger modular rig, with the Knobula Poly Cinematic for chords, 1010music Bit Box for triggering CV and gates, the Expert Sleepers ES-9 running from the laptop for triggers from Bitwig, the Soma Pulsar-23, Beatstep

Matt uses an analogue parallel compression path to give the stereo feed to front of house a more consistent polished sound.

https://matths.bandcamp.com/

We have a full 360 Video of MATTHS set available on our Patreon
and also on MATTHS Bandcamp
http://patreon.com/sonicstate

|--------|
00:00 Alessandro Cortini interview
13:55 MATTHS interview"

Elektron talk: Analog Rytm with Fader Fox EC-4 is a Game Changer!

video upload by EZBOT

"Today we take a look at the Elektron Analog Rytm in combination with the Fader Fox EC-4 MIDI controller. Assigning the Fader Fox to the Performance Macro's page turns the Rytm into a pseudo Octatrack FX box, it's legit awesome.

Get the NEW Ultimate Octatrack FX Template 1.1.3 and the NEW Ultimate

Performance Mixer 2FF 1.1.6 here with continuous updates:

https://www.patreon.com/ezbot and here if you want a one-time download:

https://www/ko-fi.com/ezbot

→ I love to teach! Step up your game with 1 on 1 lessons: https://www.ezbot.live/

→ Get the Octatrack Performance Template 2.3.5 with SHIK MIDI support along with regular updates (among other rewards) by joining my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ezbot"

The Solina Comparison Nobody Asked For [ARP Behringer Synth Face Off]

video upload by gstormelectro

"Audio + Video by G-Storm Electro c. 2023

Actually my buddy Seth suggested this. So yep I kinda lied in the title there. These synths: one of them is a lightweight new kid straight out of a box with more sassy highs, the other is a disc crushing bohemoth piece of furniture with mellow disposition. The brand new Behringer Solina in the left channel, the crusty vintage ARP/Eminent in the right channel. I replaced the ARP mains capacitors, but left all the tropical fish alone. Some of those freshwater angels are janky and cracked but still representin'. Whaddaya think? I know best synth performance ever! Talk amongst yourselves.

Recorded direct. No other mastering or effects have been added."

G-Storm Electro:
*BLOG* http://gstormelectronica.blogspot.com/
*LISTEN/DOWNLOAD* http://soundcloud.com/gstormelectro
*REVERB* http://reverb.com/shop/gstormelectro

Product Specialist Kevin Maloney - Full Interview

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"In this video, I visit and talk with former New England Digital Synclavier Product Specialist Kevin Maloney while surrounded by his two Synclavier Digital Music Systems.

Together, we present a complete history of the Synclavier with a stories and examples of how we used it on some massive hit records and films.
First, we listen to a track on the the original blue vinyl record titled 'The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II Demonstration Record'
that was the original source sound for the intro to Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'.Kevin's talks about sitting next to Michael while working on the Bad" album.He'll show us a complete breakdown of the components that make up the "Smooth Criminal" bass sound and a recreation of the sampled drum part.Then you'll see, in real time, how Synclavier's unique sequencer can drastically and quickly manipulate (or even transform) the recreated "Smooth Criminal" track.Kevin tells us how he worked closely with producer Quincy Jones to create the intro to "We Are the World". Quincy wasn't satisfied with silver bells, so Kevin turned silver bells into gold bells. Quincy said, he wanted to “send out bells to call all the people of the world to come and hear this song”. We delve into the Synclavier's one-of-a-kind ability to analyze samples (recordings of instruments or sounds) in order to create a series of short frames that each consist of a static wavetable. By cross fading the frames the user is able to recreate the complexity of a sample with a synthesizer sound. This process is called Resynthesis. The user is now able to manipulate the synthesizer sound in many more ways than can ever be done with a sample. We then heavily distort some vocal sounds that were generated using Resynthesis to show the level of control that is possible. We take a look at some preset sampled sounds from the original Synclavier Orchestral library including the string sounds used by Mark Knopfler in Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride". Anthony talks about how he created a flute sound generated from Resynthesis and later used it to perform practically every cue in the film "Stand by Me" which is another Rob Reiner hit. We take you through the evolution of the Synclavier that includes: The Synclavier I, the Synclavier II with it's original keyboard, the addition of the velocity and polyphonic keyboard, The expanded track sequencer, the addition of more buttons and secondary functions accessed by double clicking the buttons to send them into "blinking mode". BTW - These buttons were originally designed for the B-52 bomber.

We cover MIDI, SMPTE, polyphonic sampling voices and more memory (at a cost of $4500 per megabyte) that were available to add to your system.

We highlight the reason why the Synclavier cost so much and how New England Digital managed to integrate cutting edge 3rd party technology that all worked perfectly together in one unified music system. Finally we review the far more accessible versions of the Synclavier like the Synclavier V by Arturia, Synclavier Go! and Synclavier Pocket! and the most recent addition to the family - Synclavier Regen which actually has unlimited FM synthesis and sampler voices along with the long awaited... resonant Multimode FILTERS!!! The evolution of Synclavier is filled with a plethora of breath-taking features that were nowhere to be found on any other single instrument and it includes a discography of legendary proportion. It's also a history that's deeply personal to me because it ran parallel with my evolution as a composer, songwriter, arranger and programmer. The Synclavier is alive and well in 2023!

Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including Young Guns, Internal Affairs, The Man From Elysian Fields, 15 Minutes and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Website: www.anthonymarinelli.com"

Bad Gear - Evolver by Dave Smith - The False Prophet

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Evolver by Dave Smith. Is this very first instrument and hybrid synth released by DSI a modular synthesizer in a box or the false prophet? Is it still in the tradition of classic Sequential Circuits synths?

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:01 Overview DSI Evolver
01:33 Harshness of the Preset Sounds
01:55 How to play it with a Keyboard (Key off/Xpose)
02:08 Analog Oscillators, Sync, Oscillator Slop
02:37 Digital Oscillators, Prophet VS - like Waveforms
02:49 FM, Ring Modulation
02:58 Basic Routing, Noise, Filter, Split
03:37 True Stereo
03:48 Envelopes, LFOs, Signal Flow, Digital FX
04:03 Feedback, Grunge
04:18 Multitap Delay
04:36 Distortion + Noise Gate
04:44 Output Hack, HPF, Panning
04:59 Analog/Digital Conversion
05:15 More Modulation
05:34 Step Sequencer (Wave Sequencing)
05:58 Sounds, Processing External Signals
06:19 What else???
06:33 Pricing
06:40 Hate
07:07 Jam 1 (Techno)
08:08 Jam 2 ("Normal" Sounds)
09:04 Finale (DarkSynth RetroFunk)
09:35 Verdict"

PWM Malevolent: A selection of raw sounds (no talk, no FX)

video upload by Richard DeHove

"Who likes grinding, grating, howling, scraping, buzzing, screaming, inharmonious detuned filth? I'll tell you: The harder, cooler more experimental edge of the synth world - and that's you :D So here they are from the PWM Malevolent and all completely raw. No pesky effects to mask the horror and wash away imperfections. Why experience 'pleasant, lush or smooth' when you can have 'random, resonant and cross-modulated' ?
Experience the vicarious fun of ugly, dirty noodling on one of the world's most ugly synths! Yes, the Malevolent is ugly, and not even catwalk-weird-ugly, just plain ugly. From its bug-guts-green color scheme, messy layout and annoyingly small filter, resonance and drive knobs, ugly. But ugly is as ugly makes, so see how easily the controls can tip from one sound into something completely different. Then add some careless CV patching in utter disregard of pitch.
And as fun as it is to tweak it'd be a brave (or spiteful) soul who'd play this live without a beefy limiter or some other device to catch the inevitable volume peaks, piercing resonances and unexpected low-end swells. It is not a tame lion. In the video I tried to keep the volume under control and have made only minor overall volume adjustments to individual sound clips in the DAW. But there are absolutely no effects, EQ or post-processing.
I might replace all the knobs - but the layout will still be awful :/ But what about that sound?!

0:00 Formant insect
0:48 Box of dirt
1:18 Zappy McZap
1:40 Space Cow
3:00 Tuned toad
3:27 Allsorts
4:39 Wobbler
5:08 My ears!
5:36 Android vomit
6:10 Tuna
6:33 Drummer Boy
7:20 Noise plonks
7:50 Paint scraper
8:54 FM digestion
9:50 Noise flavors
10:37 Bulldozer
11:12 Dying modem
11:50 Annoying clanks
12:37 Bag of cats
13:27 Oof
13:55 Let's get seasick

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/"

Roland E-4 overloaded by synth and drum machine (no talk)

video upload by Richard DeHove

0:00 Synth 1
1:19 Drum 1
1:42 Synth 2
4:32 Drum 2
5:29 Synth 3
7:28 Drum 3

"Roland's cheap plastic E-4 "voice tweaker" hates line level audio in. It's "allowed" only with a particular flavor of TRRS known only to Initiates of the Fifth Circle. I was shunned by this elite even after offering multiple brands and configurations of TRRS cableware. Why did Roland make it so hard? Because it's a "voice tweaker" and they know best.
So stuff that. I went line-level into the mic input and even cranked up the mic input level as well. The little 'peak' light complained bitterly for some time, then often appeared to just give up and pretend the levels were fine. Was it now broken? I neither know nor care anymore. I don't expect this cheap plastic box to last very long anyway.
Most reviews and demos of the E-4 are launch day promo vids where people gush about their corporate gift. And of course it's easy to say nice things about free stuff. But when you swap your dollar-delineated labour for plastic music boxes, your scrutiny is perhaps a little sharper.
This is a lightweight toy which, although regarded as "cheap", is still way too expensive for what it is. Under no circumstances would I rely on it live but for mucking about, and especially for cutting loops in the studio, it's excellent.
Although some of the video here is chopped and messy it does perhaps give a sense of the reality that for every 30 seconds glitchy loopy joy there's usually another 10 or 15 minutes of unseen sonic garbage that has been edited away.
SIGNAL FLOW:
With the DB-01 it goes: DB-01 mono out to the Xotic SP Compressor, from there to the BOSS RV-6 - which is off - to get two mono channels. One channel goes straight to the DAW. The other goes into the passive DI box and then into the mic input on the E-4.
With the LXR-02 it goes: Left out to the DAW; right out to the SP Compressor, then into the DI box, then into the mic input.
There is absolutely no processing in the DAW aside from centering every channel and creating a simple, roughly 50/50, wet-dry mix. The E-4 has no mix control, just a tiny volume knob.
The white patch cable coming into the E-4 is the clock from the DB-01 / LXR-02. On many settings the clock seemed a bit laggy.
The oscilloscope shows the output of the E-4 only.
Happy to answer any questions.

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/"

Noise Box Go Boom (Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 Jam)

video upload by Analog Monoxide

"I've just spent a few hours with it yet, arrived earlier today.
Requires a bit of time and work to develop motor memory, but couldn't resist doing a little jam. Awesome machine, super fun."

What is working with the Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 like? (demo and opinion)

video upload by Analog Monoxide

"I had my eye on this machine since it was unveiled, and I know I'm not the only one.
It's been getting a lot of hype, and there's some videos of banging sets, and videos talking through a script, breaking down every button and function.

But what is it like to own this machine, and have it in front of you, working with it, as opposed to watching someone on YouTube?

Mostly, I just make music and video because that's what I enjoy.
When I do a video on gear, I only talk about gear I genuinely enjoy, and I like to focus more on providing information, teaching, or stimulating creativity, rather than just feeding into the GAS algorithm to drive sales.

0:00 - Intro jam
6:00 - Impressions after the first days
10:00 - IDM beat from scratch
18:16 - More thoughts on workflow
19:30 - Techno from scratch
22:40 - Summary
25:00 - My cat hates it

This is my machine, bought at retail price.
My aim is to try cover some of the stuff I thought was a bit unclear from watching other videos.
I'll be jamming a bit on it, and giving some of my thoughts in this video.

I just got this machine yesterday, so I'm still memorizing some of the workflow.
To answer one of my own questions from this video: To delete a certain parameter from a pattern, while in record mode just hold down "clear" and wiggle the respective knob.
Very intuitive, really, just didn't occur to me while I was recording.

Talking about stuff VS just doing it, are two different things :)
I'm still getting used to it.

Hope this video is helpful for some of you."

RIP Rob Hordijk - Creator of the Blippoo Box, Benjolin, and Hordijk Modular Systems

video uploads by Pedro Trotz

"Rob Hordijk explains his modular designs at the European Electro Music Event 2012 that took place at Mallorca - Spain."

Sad news in via an anonymous reader today, who spotted the following from Pedro Trotz on Mod Wiggler. Those of you that have been following the site should be familiar with Rob Hordijk's work through numerous posts on the site. Two of his most famous creations were the Benjolin and Blippoo Box.

"I am deeply saddened to announce that my friend and mentor, Robert Ernst Hordjik, passed away earlier today. He was an important part of my life and I am sure also of many others here. He will be greatly missed.

I first met him in the Chateau Sonore event he organized in Belgium, in July 2007. There, lots of similar souls shared our passion for electronic music and electronic instruments. There was a lot of G2 and modular talk, but also performances, instrument demos, concerts, rehearsals... That's when I first heard of the Blippoo, one of his first creations that made him famous.

A few years later he started his work on the modular system that has his name. I felt so grateful for his initiative in Belgium that I couldn't help but planning a follow-up, this time in Mallorca. This time, our meeting had a lot less participants but it was an even better opportunity to make friendships that will last for a lifetime. I believe that in this meeting, in a trip we made to the north coast of the island, between the mountains of the Serra de Tramontana and the Mediterranean Sea, is when Rob decided that he wanted to retire to Mallorca. I can't blame him. It was the middle of January and we were having a pic-nic on the side of a curvy road facing the sea and enjoying what we natives call "the little summer" which is something that happens from time to time in mid-winter when the sea suddenly calms and temperatures rise up to 20 degrees Celsius.

We had a Benjolin workshop, we talked a lot about his design philosophy, and I was happy to record the first series of videos about his modular System. The ones you can find in my Youtube channel. After that series of videos I asked him to build a modular for me and soon enough he came back to Mallorca to deliver it in person.

During this visits I introduced him to Biyi and they automatically made a great connection. Biyi went a few times to The Hague to assist him in the building of Blippoos and modular systems. He even built his own under Rob's supervision. We all three had the idea to start a company in Mallorca where Rob would make the designs, Biyi build the stuff and I would take care of the business side of things. It was all set-up. As soon as his obligations in the Netherlands were fulfilled he would come to Mallorca. The moment arrived but almost at the same time his illness and COVID made things extra difficult.

In one of our talks he said to me that the Benjolin, the Blippoo and the Modular System were his dearest creations and that he was honored to have made so many people happy with them. Let's honor his memory by using them and making the most beautiful sound imaginable.

Farewell, my friend. I love you." - trotz

The following is from the Synth DIY wiki page on Hordijk.

Born in 1958, self described "synthesizer designer and builder,[3]" Rob Hordijk began learning electronics from around age 12 after developing a fascination with the glowing tubes in stereo amplifiers.[1][4] When he was 14 his father who had noticed young Rob's interest gave him a subscription to an electronics course, which lead to an examination for a ham radio license.

Trained as a designer and not a musician, Rob came from an arts background, studying as a sculptor and jeweler in the 1970s. He approached electronic music in a similar spirit to abstract painting, inspired by the ambient works of Brian Eno, and Luigi Russolo's Intonarumori instruments; where attempts were made to blur the boundaries between music and art:[1]

"In those days I was quite interested in the idea of sound as a material to be sculpted, in the same way you can sculpt wood and metal. [...] You can make mechanical objects that make all sorts of sounds, or you can make electronic objects that make all sorts of sounds. but what I like about the electronic objects is that you don't see what makes the sound. [...] It opens the way to sort of make it a bit mysterious."[1]

In the early 1980s as various integrated circuits, micro-controllers, and processors became available to hobbyists, Rob began buying things such as the early Curtis chips and RCA 1802 based SuperElf processor board out of curiosity more than professional ambition.[1][5] Later switching to an Apple ][+ and the Mountain Hardware Music System, for which he developed a Forth language version that could do all sorts of stuff with the Mountain cards, like KarplusStrong-type plucked string sounds and pitch shifting.[5] His first introduction to a DSP was to the DMX1000 around 1984. In 1986 he switched to Atari ST and an Akai S900.[5] These days he is a Clavia Nord Modular G2 aficionado.[5]

"I am not really a gear freak. But I do believe in mastering synthesis techniques, in making synthesis a second nature, so to be able to fully concentrate on the creative processes."[5]

After finishing art school, Rob also completed 11 years of study in Information Technology, learning about design methods and inventory control.[1] As well as his own instruments Rob worked on the Nord Modular G2 including contributing many patches to the Nord Modular online community, and wrote a comprehensive unofficial manual of the instrument. He has produced music for environments, buildings, film, and dance performances, but is yet to produce an official release on a label.[5] As of 2022 Rob has announced his retirement and will no longer be taking orders.[6]

Design Philosophy
Rob's personal definition of a modular synthesizer is more to do with modulation than modularity; referring to functional modules as 'sections'. Everything is supposed to be able to modulate or effect everything else. All levels within the system are optomised for comparability with one another.[1]

See https://sdiy.info/wiki/Rob_Hordijk_Design for more.

Update via brian comnes: Hordijk info on synthesis: https://rhordijk.home.xs4all.nl/G2Pages/ - quite in depth.

Tech Talk: SubMarine (Electronic Beats TV)

video upload by Telekom Electronic Beats

"In this Electronic Beats Tech Talk we welcome SubMarine onto the series, a German producer operating in the field of Liquid-tinged Drum & Bass, Half Step and Bass influenced electronic music.
Here we see SubMarine walk us through his production process, which usually makes it start in the FL Studio DAW to create his signature raw, snappy drum breaks. He also works with an amalgamation of soft synths, both integral to FL Studio and third party plug-ins like Serum, to create the textural atmospherics, gnarly bass lines and hazy chords heard in his music. Out of the box SubMarine makes use of the drumming skills developed in his childhood, recording his own percussion to later process, as well as utilising hardware such as Elektron’s Analog Heat and a vintage custom pedal handed down from his father. Check the video for a more complete glimpse into the approach of this talented figure in the contemporary Drum & Bass / Bass scene."

Bad Gear - Roland Aira MX-1 Mixer

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Roland Aira MX-1 Mix Performer. Is this digital mixer, home studio backbone and live performance centerpiece the final boss of Roland's Aira range?



Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:15 Overview Roland Aira MX-1
01:33 Aira USB integration (TR-8, TB-3, System 1), bus power, compatibility
02:26 Analog connectivity, Midi, Voice Transformer integration, SPDIF
02:50 Software integration, Recording, Playback, Audio/Midi Interface
03:22 Playing the Mixer, Mutes, Faders
03:44 Tone/Filter
04:07 Channel Settings
04:17 Beat FX (Sequencer), Filter, Sidechain, Slicer
04:45 Master FX (Scatter, Roll, Filter, Bitcrush, Delay, Flanger), Combi
05:14 Lack of 'real' FX
05:28 Aux Send/Returns
05:37 DJ features (headphone mixing, tempo nudge)
05:45 Snapshot Scene Memory, Mastering Section
06:06 Out-of-the-box DAW mixer, Ableton Live Controller, switch modes
06:26 Manuals, Pricing, Thanks
06:54 Hate
07:20 Jam 1
08:13 Jam 2
09:33 Finale
10:04 Verdict"

Sequential Prophet-5 Rev 4 Sound Pack - All FM sounds

video upload by Polydata

"40 patches for the Sequential Prophet-5 / Prophet-10 Rev. 4 synthesizer. All patches utilize Oscillator 2 as an audio rate modulation source via the Poly-Mod section.Patches load into Group 4 (slots 411-458) by default. All sounds are recorded completely dry, with no effects or processing.

Link: polydata.bigcartel.com

00:00 DX-5
00:11 Music Box
00:23 Cold Bells
00:41 SEGA Drums
00:52 No Reverb!

CLICK FOR MORE »

Bad Gear - Roland System-1

video upload by AudioPilz

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Roland Aira System-1. Many people consider digital synthesizers to be nothing but a plugin in a box. Did Roland make it official? Can the plugout emulations of classic analog synths keep up with the vintage originals?

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:12 Overview Roland System-1
02:30 Modulators (LFO&Envelopes)
03:11 System-1 Filter
03:37 Tone, Bitcrusher, Reverb, Delay
04:17 Arpeggiator, Scatter
03:39 Jog Dial, Mod "Button"
05:04 Plugout, Cloud, Emulations (Promars, SH-101, SH-2)
06:05 What else???
06:35 Hate
06:59 Jam 1
07:55 Jam 2
09:00 Finale
09:32 Verdict"

AudioPilz Bad Gear posts

Deftaudio midi merger [DIY & github] quick review/demo

video upload by Meska

"More a realy quick review, than a demo, but you don't need it for simple function like that.

Many other configuration : https://www.tindie.com/stores/deftaudio/
Github : https://github.com/Deftaudio/Midi-boards

Thank you for watching.
My name is Meska of the statik collective . I've been making mostly "dark and expérimental" music for more than ten years now, i'v learn so much online, now it's time for me to share my knoledge, my exploration and this channel is a place to talk about the tools, sound design and techniques to make music with.
i'm tattooist at day jobs and you can found my work here : www.meska.fr

You can stream my albums and EPs at https://statikwave.bandcamp.com/

If you'd like to support the channel​ consider buying music from bandcamp ;)"

"This MIDI Merger / Splitter is the special 2 input 5 output thru box which I designed from scratch while not being happy with other options.

It has two MIDI input ports which are merged together by a microcontroller and then split to five MIDI outputs. Programmed microcontroller is included with a PCB or Kit purchase.

It has optimized schematics for 5V and 3.3V MIDI sender devices, optimized circuitry for optocoupler to minimize false triggering and improve sensitivity. Finally it uses hex inverter with a Schmitt trigger for driving a stronger output signal. This makes it very reliable device. This is an active circuit, so it does require an external power. That’s the way it should be according to the MIDI specs.

There are two options for external power:

To be used with a standard wall adapter 6-12V and 5.5mm*2.1mm connector. In this case a Kit comes with corresponding socket and 7805 power regulator
To be powered from USB port. In this case a Kit includes USB->5.5mm*2.5mm cable, corresponding power socket (so you wont plug wall adapter) and doesn't include 7805. Instead of that you'll solder a jumper Pin 1 and Pin 3. Leave Pin 2 not connected. Please make sure, you use USB port or adapter with 5V output and verify it prior to connecting to the board. There are some QuickCharge USB chargers which can bump a voltage. Please, avoid using them.

Board size and an enclosure choice: Size: 5x17cm"

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Erica Synths mki x es.EDU Educational DIY Kit Line Created with Mortiz Klein

video upload by Moritz Klein

Full playlist further below.

"As some of you already know, I'll be releasing a series of DIY kits with the good people at Erica Synths. In this stream, we'll check out some of the prototypes, talk about the design process & the circuits themselves and – of course – hear what they sound like."

"Erica Synths and Moritz Klein – have developed a series of educational DIY kits under the brand name mki x es.EDU with one specific goal in mind: to teach people with little-to-no prior experience how to design analog synthesizer circuits from scratch. What you’ll find in the box is not simply meant to be soldered together and then disappear in your rack. Instead, we want to take you through the circuit design process step by step, explaining every choice we’ve made and how it impacts the finished module.

In total, we have developed 9 kits to build a fully-featured modular monosynth: a sequencer, a VCO, a wavefolder, a noise/S&H module, a mixer, a VCF, an Envelope generator, a dual VCA, and an output stereo mixer with a headphone amplifier. Additionally, an affordable eurorack case with a DIY PSU will also be available. While these kits are easy to build, we did not compromise on design and functionality. We will launch one kit every 4-6 weeks. Each kit comes with an extensive user manual (40+ pages) that will dive deep into not only the electronics behind each circuit but also the fundamental principles of sound synthesis.

We hope that the mki x es.EDU project will inspire future engineers and will contribute to the ever-growing diversity of electronic music technology."

Mortiz Klein Playlist
video uploads by Mortiz Klein